Deaf-school employee convicted of sex crimes against girls

July 24, 2017
By
Law Offices of James E. Crawford, Jr. & Associates

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A Maryland man has been sentenced for sexually abusing students at the
Maryland School for the Deaf, where he was employed. The 38-year-old man
had been found guilty of thesex crimes in November. He was accused of child sexual abuse after allegedly assaulting
two girls, ages 10 and 12. The defendant is also hearing-impaired and
graduated from the school. He was sentenced to 30 years with 23 years’
suspended time. That means he will only spend seven years in custody.
The man will also serve a five-year term of supervised release. He could
have spent up to 50 years’ jail time for the alleged crimes.

The defendant was found not guilty on one other count. Four other counts
also resulted in a mistrial. Retrials in the case are scheduled in a few
months. Attorneys in the case said the victims misinterpreted the man’s
affection as sexual misconduct.

Relatives in the case say they are not pleased with what they perceive
as a short sentence for the defendant. He had originally been accused
by seven girls who were ages 10 to 13 when he allegedly assaulted them
during a time period between 2008 and 2011. Prosecutors in the case say
the victims were chosen because they were in a vulnerable position as
boarding students at the school. Neither of the victims in this case had
any other hearing-impaired relatives, so communication with family members
was limited.

Even though a sex crimes defendant is arrested or charged with sexual misconduct,
he or she is not automatically considered guilty. These defendants deserve
to have their rights protected under Maryland law. Residents who are concerned
about their sex crimes cases may benefit from consulting a qualified criminal
defense attorney.

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